St. Sophia's raises $15,900 for Central New York Children's Hospital at University Hospital
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Add St. Sophia's Greek Orthodox Church in Syracuse to the list of organizations and institutions supporting the Central New York Children's Hospital fundraising effort. The parish of 680 members has raised $15,900 for the children's hospital through a variety of events over the past several months.
The Sophian Players, a parish theater group, raised $5,100 from a Mother's Day musical presentation, directed by William M. Harmand, M.D., also a faculty member of SUNY Upstate's otolaryngology department. The church raised $2,500 from proceeds from the 2004 Greek Festival's advertisement book. In addition, St. Sophia's Ladies Philoptochos Society raised $3,300 through an art auction held in October. Earlier this year, the society used money raised from bake sales, raffles and craft fairs to name a family sleep room in the children's hospital.
The Philoptochos Society is the largest organization of Greek Orthodox women and is one of the largest women's philanthropic and religious organizations in the United States. Philoptochos, literally meaning "friend of the poor," supports many charities on the local, diocesan, national and international levels.